Zigadenus facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Zigadenus |
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Scientific classification  |
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Order: | Liliales |
| Family: | Melanthiaceae |
| Tribe: | Melanthieae |
| Genus: | Zigadenus Michx. |
| Species: |
Z. glaberrimus
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| Binomial name | |
| Zigadenus glaberrimus |
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| Synonyms | |
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Zigadenus is a type of flowering plant. Today, it only has one species left: Zigadenus glaberrimus. People also call it the sandbog death camas. You can find this plant in the southeastern United States, from Mississippi all the way to Virginia. A long time ago, about 20 different kinds of plants were thought to be in the Zigadenus group. But scientists have now moved most of them to other plant groups.
Contents
What Does Sandbog Death Camas Look Like?
The Zigadenus glaberrimus plant usually grows to be about 60–120 cm (2–4 ft) tall. That's like a person's waist to their chest!
- It has many flowers, usually between 30 and 70 of them.
- These flowers grow in a cluster called a panicle.
- Each flower is bell-shaped and white or cream-colored.
- They are about 20–30 mm (0.8–1.2 in) wide.
- After the flower blooms, its petal-like parts stay attached to the seed pod.
- The seed pods are shaped like cones.
- They are about 10–15 mm (0.4–0.6 in) long and 4–7 mm (0.2–0.3 in) wide.
You can see Zigadenus glaberrimus flowers from mid-July through September. It likes to grow in wet, sandy areas. These include pine bogs, savannas, and sandy pinelands. You can find it in the US states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina.
How Scientists Group This Plant
The sandbog death camas belongs to a plant family called Melanthiaceae. Scientists use special studies to figure out how plants are related. These studies have helped them understand that many plants once grouped with Zigadenus actually belong somewhere else.
Plants That Used to Be in the Zigadenus Group
As we mentioned, Zigadenus glaberrimus is the only species left in its group. About twenty other species used to be part of Zigadenus. But now, they have been moved to different plant groups. Here are a few examples of plants that used to be called Zigadenus:
- Amianthium muscitotoxum – also known as flypoison
- Anticlea elegans – called elegant camas or mountain deathcamas
- Stenanthium densum – known as Osceola's plume
- Toxicoscordion fremontii – called Fremont's deathcamas
Is Sandbog Death Camas Dangerous?
Yes, it is! Like all the plants that used to be in the Zigadenus group, every part of Z. glaberrimus is poisonous. This is because it contains special chemicals called alkaloids, like zygacine.
- Do not touch or eat any part of this plant.
- It can make animals, like sheep and cattle, very sick if they eat it.
- It can also make people very ill.
Always be careful around plants you don't know, especially in the wild!
 | Percy Lavon Julian |
 | Katherine Johnson |
 | George Washington Carver |
 | Annie Easley |
